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leela-small · 9 months

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Gut Feelings

All Jenny wanted was to confess to her crush on Valentine's Day. Simple, right? Apparently, the universe had other plans; some very painful and unpleasant plans.

A requested fix-it fic for the episode "Bass to Mouth"

Continue reading on AO3 or under the cut

“Question number sixteen was one many of you got wrong. The answer was A, anemone. I don’t know why so many of you thought clown fish sleep in coral.”

Jenny Simons sighed as Mr. Garrison droned on, trying her hardest to stay awake as he wrote the answers to last week’s pop quiz on the chalkboard. She forced her hand to write down the answers on her notebook, but the sound of Garrison’s voice was like the world’s most powerful sleep-inducing agent, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Moreover, both her mind and her heart were in a very different place, so it was quite hard to focus on anything but her thoughts.

The day thus far had been dull and uneventful, especially considering it was Valentine’s Day. Jenny had witnessed the exact same things that happened every year: Valentines exchanging gifts, Butters handing out cards to everyone at school and no one even thinking about professing their love for her, the latter tugging at her heartstrings in an unpleasant way. The only thing remotely different that occurred had been Cartman nearly begging her to have lunch with him and offering her a cupcake. Of course she wouldn’t be caught dead accepting such an invitation — this was Eric Cartman, after all. She wasn’t that desperate. Such an offer would no doubt come with strings attached, such as roping her into some insane scheme or forcing her to finance said scheme, if the things Craig had told her were anything to go by. She’d rather be force-fed broccoli for an entire week than interact with him for even a second.

However, she had been very surprised when he offered her one of his cupcakes, even if she was sure it was just a weak attempt at blackmailing her. Cartman was notorious for never sharing his food, so this had been a very unexpected gesture. Even if deep down in her gut she knew it was never a good idea to accept food from him, she did it nonetheless. And she had to admit, Mrs. Cartman was quite the baker; that had to be one of the best cupcakes she had ever tasted. But as much as she enjoyed it, that nagging feeling in her gut persisted. She sure hoped it was wrong.

“And now, number seventeen, many of you got wrong as well. The correct answer was D, whales are…”

Jenny’s pen dropped onto the desk as her hands flew towards her stomach, which had begun to throb painfully. She moaned and closed her eyes, the pain so strong that it made her feel lightheaded.

“You OK, Jenny?” Cartman whispered from his seat next to her.

“Yeah…” she panted, still gripping her aching tummy. “I’m fine, I just —”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence due to an especially sharp cramp, which caused her to moan loudly.

“Mr. Garrison?” she called out in a haste, lifting her hand up with the little strength left in her. “Can I please be excused?”

“Excused? Oh, but we are in the middle of class!” Cartman commented a little too theatrically for her taste.

More moans escaped her lips, her gut hurting so bad it almost felt like someone was tearing it apart with a hot iron.

“What’s the matter?” asked Mr. Garrison, an eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.

“I just need to go to the restroom!” Jenny practically begged.

“Well, OK.” the teacher shrugged.

She heard Cartman say something in return, but before she could make out whatever it was, she had already gotten up and rushed out the door, racing down the hallway to the nearest bathroom. Her cramps had gotten so bad that she was sure she would explode if she didn’t get to a toilet very soon.

Meanwhile, Lola observed all this happening from the seat right behind Jenny’s. She grew concerned at her best friend’s actions and wanted nothing more than to run after her and console her in any way she could. But before she could even move from her chair, Mr. Garrison had demanded that his students pay attention to the lesson and ignore, quote, ‘the disruptor with a bad case of Hershey squirts’. All she could do was sigh as her eyes wandered back down to the half-filled page of her notebook, hoping for the bell to ring soon and for Jenny to be OK.

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Even though Jenny made it to the bathroom stall just in time, she couldn’t fight the mortification she was feeling. A strangled sob escaped her lips, her hands reaching up to cover her face and avoid her whimpers from echoing through the tile walls.

That day couldn’t have gone any worse, and it was the one day she needed everything to go absolutely perfectly. She was supposed to confess to her crush today. She had planned everything to the last detail, mapping out a series of strategies that she deemed to be foolproof. When she arrived at school that morning, making sure to get there early and avoid any prying eyes, she had slipped a homemade card into her crush’s locker. She had spent all night working on that card, writing the most heartfelt words she could think of in the nicest handwriting possible. If that didn’t work, she had a backup plan ready. But even if it did work, how was her crush supposed to find her while she was confined to a stinkin’ bathroom stall?

Now that she thought about it, had she remembered to sign the card before slipping it into the locker? She had been in such a rush to deliver it, she couldn’t recall if she’d signed it or not. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she hadn’t. Jenny mentally slapped herself and sobbed harder. How could she have been so stupid?

“Jenny? You in here?”

Jenny’s breath hitched at the sound of that voice, instantly recognizing whom it belonged to. She hadn’t even heard her come in, probably so lost in her self-deprecating thoughts that she missed the sound of the bathroom door being opened.

“Yeah, I’m here, Wendy.” she sniffled, rubbing the moisture from her eyes.

“I saw you run out of class and got worried.” said Wendy, her tone one of genuine concern. “Are you OK?”

“No… Not really.” Jenny groaned. “I’m pretty sure Cartman gave me a cupcake filled with laxatives.”

“That bastard!” Wendy growled. “Do you want me to go teach him a lesson? I’ll gladly do it! I think he’s due for a reminder of what happened last time.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I just want to forget this ever happened. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“It will stay open, just say the word. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Maybe… Give me a second.”

Jenny carefully slipped from the toilet and pulled up her pants, her movements slow and careful, as if any sudden jolts could stir her aching bowels back to life. She stood still for a few seconds, assessing if she was well enough to leave the stall and go about her life — and more importantly, try to profess her love for her crush once and for all. Everything seemed to be in order, so she took a small step towards the door…

…only to be stopped in her tracks by another stinging cramp in her gut.

She immediately sat back on the toilet, biting back her moans so as not to worry the girl on the other side of the door. She whimpered in defeat; she wasn’t getting out of that stall anytime soon. She needed to rethink her strategy.

“Wendy, you still there?” she asked weakly.

“Yeah, I’m here.” the other girl quickly replied. “What do you need?”

“I need you to do me a huge favor, no questions asked.”

“OK…” Wendy said hesitantly. “Look, if you need me to wipe your ass for you, I’m sorry but I’m really not comfortable with that. We get along, yeah, but I don’t know you that well.”

“Not that!” Jenny exclaimed, clutching her belly as more pain erupted. “I just need you to deliver something.”

“Oh! Yeah, sure, I can do that!”

Jenny reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small plastic bag filled with red gummy hearts. It had a red ribbon neatly tied into a bow at the top and a small note inside, where she had written her innermost feelings in the most eloquent way she could think of. This was her backup in case the card in the locker failed, and since she had no clue if her crush had read it or not, it was best to play it safe and employ her last option.

“I don’t think I feel well enough to leave the stall yet.” she explained as she tossed the plastic bag through the gap under the door. “I need you to take that and leave it on the desk behind mine.”

She saw Wendy’s hand reach down and pick up the bag, the other girl becoming oddly silent for a few moments.

“The desk right behind yours…” Wendy mused, seemingly processing the information. “But isn’t that —”

“No questions asked, Wendy!” Jenny interrupted her before her curiosity took her any further.

“Right, sorry! Be back in a jiffy, then!”

The sound of Wendy’s feet hurriedly exiting the bathroom bounced against the walls, silence permeating the room once more after the door closed behind her. Jenny sighed, leaning back against the wall in a desperate attempt to relax her body. Her bowels were screaming and her heart was on the verge of shattering. She just hoped Wendy would be successful. She just hoped something went right on such a horrible day.

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Much to her dismay, Jenny spent the remainder of the school day stuck in that God-forsaken bathroom stall. Every time she thought she had recovered, the pain would start all over again. The most she’d made it out was one step out into the hallway after carefully checking if there was anyone out there that might see her. She nearly bumped into her crush when she stepped out, and as they made eye contact, she considered biting the bullet and confessing her feelings right there and then. But, since the universe seemed to be out to get her, her tummy began to ache again just as she had opened her mouth, causing her to turn back and awkwardly waddle back onto the toilet without uttering a word. That was certainly a day she would try her hardest to forget.

On the bright side, Wendy managed to leave the candy on the right desk, so that gave her at least some relief. Now it was all a matter of time until she knew if her crush reciprocated her feelings. She knew for sure that she had signed the note in the bag, so now she just had to sit and wait. As if she could do anything else…

Wendy had stayed with her all throughout recess, but had to leave once the bell rang. Jenny didn’t like that she valued her permanent record more than her friends, but she couldn’t blame her; she probably would’ve done the same. She was alone for quite a bit until Bebe came in and stayed a while, talking and comforting her to the best of her abilities. When she had to leave, Red took her place. Out of all the things that went wrong that day, it still brought a smile to Jenny’s face to know that her friends were there for her. It gave her solace to know that, no matter what, she could always count on her fellow Pleases and Sparkles Committee members.

“Seriously, when you get out of here, you need to get even. That son of a bitch needs to be put in his place once and for all.” Red grumbled.

“When I get out of here, and as soon as I’m strong enough, I’ll wring his neck myself.” Jenny huffed.

They both fell silent when the door to the bathroom suddenly opened and someone stepped in. It shouldn’t be that much of a surprise; it was an elementary school bathroom, after all. Still, the less people that knew about Jenny’s little ‘problem’, the better. She had been playing dead most of the day, pretending she wasn’t there whenever anyone entered. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself any further by having to explain her unfortunate situation.

“I’ll take it from here, Red.”

Jenny’s breath caught in her throat at the sound of that voice. It was the same voice she’d heard for most days of her young life, the voice that belonged to the one person she could always count on and confide in more than anyone else — her best friend Lola.

She heard Red say goodbye as she exited the bathroom, the room becoming deafeningly silent once she was gone. Jenny’s heart was pounding in her ears and her stomach was in knots. The last person she wanted to see her in such a mortifying situation was Lola .

“Hey, Jen. How ya holdin’ up?” Lola asked calmly.

“Not great.” Jenny replied in a low tone, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “Not great at all.”

“I can imagine. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

She could think of a handful of things Lola could do to make her feel better, but it was neither the time nor the place for that.

“N-No… I just need to sit and wait until this goes away.” she croaked, hoping her tone didn’t give away her sadness.

“Has anyone tried to call your mom?”

“My parents are away for a business trip and my babysitter is only supposed to pick me up at the end of the day.”

“Aw, damn…” Lola clicked her tongue and Jenny heard some shuffling and crinkling noises from the other side of the door. “So, I know this isn’t the best time to bring this up, but… I got your candy.”

Jenny’s heart nearly stopped upon hearing those words. She should’ve expected this sort of confrontation, but she was hardly prepared for it, especially considering she had spent most of the day sitting on the toilet. In her mind, she had seen this happening after she’d gotten home, taken a long shower and ingested a generous dose of Imodium. Then she’d be prepared.

“Do you really mean all the stuff in this note?” Lola asked, sounding genuinely curious and interested in Jenny’s answer.

Jenny was beginning to panic. This was her chance, the one she had waited for so long and imagined countless times. But now that it was finally happening, anxiety was taking over and her mind was racing with all sorts of negative scenarios. What if she didn’t feel the same? What if she laughed in her face? What if she didn’t want to be friends again after this? Jenny was starting to spiral out of control, her breath coming out in short bursts and her heart beating at what felt like a million miles per hour.

“Jen?”

She took several deep breaths to ground herself, doing her best to clear her head and steady her anxiety. It was now or never.

“Yes. Yes, I mean every word.” she finally replied.

Jenny held her breath as she awaited Lola’s response. The other girl seemed to be mulling it over, the silence that enveloped them turning unbelievably uncomfortable.

“How long have you felt this way?” Lola inquired after a moment.

“For a couple of months. It took me a while to realize that what I felt wasn’t just friendship.” she admitted, releasing a small chuckle in the end.

When Lola didn’t say anything in return, Jenny felt the tears emerging again. She couldn’t handle a rejection, not after the horrendous day she’d had. If Lola didn’t reciprocate her feelings, she had half a mind to just climb up to the roof and end it all.

“Geez, Jen… You could’ve said something sooner!”

It took a moment for Jenny’s brain to fully process what she had just heard, believing for a moment that her ears were playing tricks on her. Had Lola really said what she thought she said?

“W-Wait…” she stuttered, taking a second to collect herself before continuing. “Are you saying you feel the same way?”

“Is the Pope Italian?” Lola asked sarcastically.

“Actually, no.”

“You get what I mean. But for real, Jen, you have no idea how hard it’s been to hide my feelings so they wouldn’t ruin our friendship.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been doing!” Jenny exclaimed, suddenly feeling very giddy.

“Good to know we’re on the same page, then.” Lola chuckled.

With her heart fluttering in her chest and her intestinal cramps long forgotten, Jenny felt like she was floating in midair. She could hardly believe Lola, her best friend since kindergarten and the girl she had been crushing on for so long, actually shared her feelings. Finally she had gotten her Valentine’s Day wish.

There was only one last thing she needed to do to make it perfect.

“Lola?”

“Yeah?”

She took a deep breath before reaching forward and unlatching the stall door, opening it just enough to peek through and see Lola’s pretty face smiling at her.

“Will you be my girlfriend?” Jenny finally asked the question she had been dying to ask all day.

Lola cocked a brow and gave her a playful smirk.

“Hell yeah!” she said confidently. “I thought the answer was obvious.”

“Yeah, but I just wanted to make sure.” Jenny blushed and glanced down at the dirty bathroom floor. “Plus I really wanted to call you my girlfriend.”

Lola chuckled, her laughter sounding like the most beautiful melody to Jenny’s ears. She could listen to her laugh all day, and hopefully she would from now on. She wanted nothing more than to run up and give her a bear hug, but it was best to leave that for when she felt significantly less gross.

“But seriously, why didn’t you try to tell me sooner?”

“I did try. I left a card in your locker.”

“That was from you?” Lola exclaimed. “Since there was no name on it, I just assumed it came from Butters. You know how he gives everyone a card.”

“Good point.” Jenny sighed. “I also wanted to try and give you the candy myself, but then… this happened.”

“Oh yeah, how did that happen? You were fine this morning.”

“Eric shit-for-brains Cartman gave me a tainted cupcake.”

Jenny watched as Lola’s eye twitched, her face getting red as she grew more and more enraged by the second. She had never seen Lola get angry before, and quite frankly it wasn’t a pretty sight. She seriously hoped to never find herself at the receiving end of her anger.

“Be back in a sec.” Lola stated drily before turning on her heels and making a beeline for the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To make that motherfucker wish he’d never been born.” Lola said before exiting the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jenny couldn’t help but giggle, appreciating her girlfriend’s intentions. Her heart soared whenever she reminded herself that Lola was now her girlfriend. She had wished for this to happen so many times. Now that it was finally a reality, she needed to pinch herself to make sure it was real. She couldn’t wait to go on dates, hold hands, and even… kiss . That last prospect sent a flurry of butterflies flapping around in her stomach.

Speaking of her gastrointestinal tract, it had been oddly quiet and painless for a while now. She had been so preoccupied with her confession and Lola’s response that she’d completely forgotten about her ailment. The cramps seemed to have subsided and everything seemed fairly normal. Who knew, maybe love really was the best medicine.

Since she seemed to be out of the woods for the time being, she figured it would finally be safe to leave the bathroom and try to get home, perhaps getting a hold of her babysitter and see if she could pick her up earlier. With her spirits lifted and her tummy finally back to normal, Jenny smiled to herself and reached for the toilet paper…

…only to find the roll empty, the only thing left being the cardboard tube.

“Shit."

#Fanfiction #South Park #Jenny Simons #Eric Cartman #Herbert Garrison #Mr Garrison #Wendy Testaburger #Red McArthur #South Park Lola #Jenny x Lola #[insert ship name here]

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written-in-flowers · 11 days

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The Drifter: The Sea King's Curse (1.02a)

Pairing: siren!hyunjin x fem!reader

Word Count: 59k

Genre: fantasy, smut, fluff, adventure

Summary: When the corpses of mutilated mermaids wash up on shore, the lawmen of Levanter Bay seek YN's help to find the cause. They end up discovering this goes much farther than expected.

Tags: Graphic violence (just fist fighting and monster slaying), kidnapping, animal death (hunting out of necessity), graphic descriptions of corpses, death, autopsies, thalassophobia, fear of deep water, megalophobia (fear of large objects), sea monsters, mind control, mind manipulation, mental illness, dark magic, mentions of war, slight ptsd. vaginal fingering, p in v sex, monster fucking, bigdick!hyunjin. underwater sex, public sex, outdoor sex, monster dick

Part 1 < | > Part 3

Drifter Masterlist

***

The whale stopped right outside where you’d met Hyunjin that morning, and you lamented leaving him. You knew you’d see him again, but leaving him this moment left you empty inside. People told you sirens give that effect, so you tried not thinking too much as you swam away from him. You forced yourself to focus on whether Minho and Han had any luck with their part of the investigation.

“More than enough luck!”

Han called as you and Chan arrived back at the station. He sat at his desk, leaning back with his feet on the top and a satisfied grin on his face. You gaped at his broken lip, and the black and yellow bruise on his temple. On his left hand, you saw a bandage wrapped around his palm, bloody in the middle.

“Jisung!” Chan gasped, moving over to check his bruises. “What the hell happened?”

“Got into a bar fight,” he shrugged, playing it cool. “It’s no big deal.”

Chan gingerly lifted his bandaged hand, “What happened to your hand?”

“Park Jinyoung, that’s what,” he grimaced when Chan turned his hand palm upwards. “He put a knife to me, and I had to get him off somehow.”

“With your hand?”

“It worked! I put a bullet in his leg, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. He still got away.”

That was when you saw them. A young man and woman sat in one of the holding cells, the enchanted purple bars keeping the woman from teleporting out. The young man had the wide, long ears and black eyes of a goblin, while the woman appeared human. The goblin noticed you first, his reaction not much different from other criminals who see you. He backed up into the wall attached to the bench, pushing back as if he might melt into the stone. His sudden jolt startled his companion, and she turned to see you as well. She didn’t back away, but her eyes did widen.

“Jennie and Eric, right?” you asked, walking past Han and Chan to the cell. Eric crouched into the corner, but Jennie kept her gaze on yours. “The mage and the accomplice.”

“So the squirrel wasn’t lying when he said they knew a demon bounty hunter,” Jennie drawled, seeing your exposed markings. “Plan on roasting us, demon?”

“Not right away,” you leaned against the side of the door, arms crossed. “I’m going to take a stab and guess the deputies already questioned you?”

“They tried,” she sniffed.

“We don’t know anything about Alcina!” Eric squeaked, eyes squeezed shut. “I swear, we don’t know anything about her! Not at all!”

“Eric!” Jennie hissed, kicking at him.

“Alcina, huh?” you let the name rest out in the air, “Where did you meet her?”

“I’m not talking, demon,” Jennie spat, arms crossed. “Save your breath. You’re going to need it when Jinyoung comes for me.”

“What makes you think he’s coming?”

“We’re his crewmates,” she shot at you. “He needs us. We need him.”

“Does he?” you raised an eyebrow, “He can pick up any pair of misfits off Cortuga and sail off without a second thought about either of you.”

“He’d never do that!” she said angrily, frustration bubbling inside her. “He…He isn’t that kind of captain…” she looked away from you, biting her trembling lower lip.

“Alright, sure. I honestly can’t wait for him to get here,” you then bent and whispered to her, “Then I can cook him alive myself.”

“Demon filth…” she grumbled through her teeth. “You’ll see soon enough. You’ll all see!”

“And I’m terrified,” you seethed.

You turned to see Minho back at his desk. He did not leave the fight unscathed. You caught the busted blood vessel in his right eye. It was most likely caused by whatever object left a cut underneath the eyelid and purple and black around his eye. Another cut on his left cheek told you his attacker got in close before he blasted them away. He placed a large book on his desk, and opened it.

“Alcina?” you walked over to him, grabbing a chair to sit on the other side. “Does that name ring a bell for you?”

“No, but I’m assuming it’s the person they’re working for,” Minho said, “Unless you two find something to contradict her?”

You told Minho everything you learned while Chan rewrapped Han’s injured hand. He froze up when you detailed Tytos’s condition, and mentioned The Creator.

“That’s not Brain Fog,” Minho said when you finished. “Brain Fog might make you forgetful and dazed, but it doesn’t debilitate you at the same time. You say he looked thin and frail. In what way?”

You thought about it, “In a deathly way. It was as if the curse was slowly killing him at the same time. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days, his hair was brittle and thinning and his dry lips were cracked. Yet, when I mentioned his eldest son died, he seemed to break out of his delusion for a second before Mizu put him back under somehow.”

“How? Did you see what he did?”

“He touched the middle of his forehead,” you showed him the thumb motion Mizu had done, “And left behind some kind of black powder. Does that sound like any spell or curse you know? None of the ones I remember require that sort of touch.”

“There are a few,” he rolled his chair to the bookshelf a few feet from his desk and scanned the shelves, “Brain Fog doesn’t require any sort of physical touch. You said you’d seen this in the war?”

“Yes,” you watched him pick out one of the black leather books and came to the desk, “The mage who removed it used a stone. Yejin thinks it might’ve been a black tourmaline.”

“Yes!” he cheered reading the cover of the book, “Demonic Curses of the Dark Age! I knew I had it somewhere. I bought it at a sale in Newport. The warlock selling it says it was written by a real demon who was put to death for writing down their secrets!” He brought the book back to the desk, and opened it. “There’s a chapter in here somewhere,” he scanned the first page, “About manipulation curses. It has everything from elemental manipulation to molecular manipulation to zoological manipulation! I devoured this book in days! There’s so much!”

“Okay, Minho, that’s great,” you said, amused by his eagerness, “But does it have anything about mind manipulation?”

“It might…” he then asked, “You said the mage used a stone?”

“He did,” you nodded, “He said some sort of incantation while he did it, and the curse was gone.”

“Hmm…” he flipped another page, “Black tourmaline is a good stone for battling negative energy and psychic attacks. It’s regularly used for sapping out a curse.”

“What do you do after you have it in there?” asked Han, who winced when Chan closed the bandage.

“You usually melt or break the crystal,” Minho said. “A lot of fairies study alchemy so they can dispose of dark matter easier.”

“And I’m going to guess you’re one of those fairies?” he grinned humorously.

“I am,” he nodded. “We only need to find the right incantation.”

You shut your eyes as the day slowly broke down on you. “As fun as reading books late at night can be,” you yawned, slumping against the chair, “I think my brain is ready to shut off.”

“Not surprised,” he said, “Swimming around Hydrus will do that to you. You two get some rest. We won’t be finding our answer tonight.”

“You sure you want to walk to The Pearl like that?” asked Han when he saw you stand from your chair.

“Yes, why?” You then realized why Minho tried so hard not to look at you and why Han could not stop looking at you.

You’d gone into Hydrus in just your bra and pants.

“Oh, so Chan can walk around shirtless and nobody cares, but if I walk around with a bra on, it’s suddenly a problem?”

“Nobody said Chan can walk around shirtless,” Minho said, still focused on his book, “He just does it and we accept it.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me,” Han said breathlessly.

“Jisung,” Minho snapped, something similar to jealousy in his voice.

“Oh Minnie, you know I only have eyes for you,” he batted his lashes and blew a kiss.

“Ugh,” you groaned and made for the door, “It’s not a big deal. Wearing my shirt and jacket would have weighed me down. It’s not much different from swimming suits.”

Han stifled a laugh, “Which can be just as deadly on a woman like you.”

“Oh hush.”

“Men are the worst,” Jennie said from her cell.

“They are!”

You left the station without another word, walking out into town. Yes, you did get a lot of stares as you walked up to the White Pearl. Though, something told you it was your markings and not the lack of a shirt that caught stares. Honestly, you felt too tired to really care. Muscles aching from the constant swimming around in the ocean, you thought only about peeling off your damp clothes and crashing onto your bed. Moving through the crowded inn, you saw Felix singing up on stage. The pretty blond winked at you when you met his eyes, and you’ll admit you found him charming.

Not as charming as the bed waiting upstairs.

****

“I believe they are unto us, Creator. The mainlander lover and the old fool were alone with him.”

“Have they undone our work?”

“Of course not, but…one of my guards said his shark sensed somebody else in the room with us. I believe it was her half-breed son hiding in plain sight.”

“Then you must get rid of him. Our spell is almost complete. In a few days, King Tytos will die and the Seven Seas will be ours.”

“Of course, Creator. I will have my best men on it. We will kill that mainlander and whoever else stands in our way.”

The Creator remained silent in her orb, and Mizu sensed she was searching in “the beyond”. He noticed her gasp, and hesitated. “No…this cannot be. It must not be true.”

“Creator?”

“I see eternal fire within the waves,” she said. “I see…Oh, I can feel her powers now.”

“Whose powers, Creator?”

“The Vanquisher…The demon who slayed The Dark Lord…She is here…” her voice suddenly sharpened, “You must stop her! She cannot succeed!”

“The Vanquisher?”

“The Vanquisher!” she hissed. “The fire demon named Multak, who slew our master in Incheon and sent him into The Abyss! Our mortal enemy! She will foil our plans if we do not stop her!”

“What would you have me do?”

“Distract her. Keep her busy with your pirate friends while I work my magic. It appears we will have to speed up the process.”

“As you command, Creator.”

****

“How was your adventure under the sea?”

Changbin passed your breakfast plate to you on the bartop, and refilled your milk cup. You licked your lips at the steaming eggs, bacon, grits and biscuit on your plate.

“Great,” you answered, digging into the eggs right away. You hadn’t noticed your hunger until you’d woken up this morning with your stomach growling. The fluffy eggs melted in your mouth and you thought you’d melt with them, “Met a pretty siren, saw some fish, and got to ride a whale. Very eventful.”

“A siren, huh?” he asked with an impressed grin. “Did you get lucky?”

“Unfortunately not,” you frowned, thinking of handsome Hyunjin’s pretty mouth. “I was there on business, so there wasn’t much room for pleasure.”

“Shame,” he said. “When you came in here without a shirt, I was hoping to hear a wilder story than that.”

“Well, I did get to sneak into a palace, so it wasn’t totally uneventful.”

Changbin chortled, and you started telling him about your journey when a high cry broke through the morning crowd outside. You chased your food with the milk as you peered into the windows. People rushed down the dirt road, fear in their eyes and adrenaline pushing them forward. They ran into nearby buildings, calling to those inside, and shutting doors and windows tightly. Dread filled your bones, and you suddenly didn’t feel hungry. Changbin, however, knew exactly what was happening.

“Wooyoung!” he called into the kitchen, “Pirates!” He then reached under from the bar and retrieved a double sided axe. From the notches on the wooden handle, it’d been used plenty of times. “YN, either get your steel or go upstairs.”

“Pirates?”

You slowly stood from your stool, and went to the window. A group of children ran into the inn, going right behind the bar. You heard Changbin direct them into the kitchen, while he whistled for Honey. Their calls came from far away, but their taunts and laughter stuck in your ears. He sent them. Whether to scare you or kill you, Mizu sent these pirates to you. While a twinge of fear did hit you, Zunar’s words whispered in your ear.

“That’s the only time we can be brave, little flame.”

You went to grab your sword.

When you returned, Changbin and Wooyoung already ran outside. While most of the citizens of Levanter Bay hid, a select few met the invaders: Fred Pebbles with a large club and his men shooting from behind wagons and crates; Han and Minho standing atop a nearby building, taking shots with bullets and magic arrows; Changbin with his ax and bear companion: Wooyoung with twin daggers and swift kicks, and even Mayor Wallace with a heavy hammer. The smell of blood and battle hit your senses, fueling you for the fight as you went up to the porch railing.

One of Pebbles’s farmhands stood fighting a particularly nasty looking pirate goblin, so you jumped behind the goblin with a swift kick. Once on the ground, the farmhand slammed her hammer into their skull. Your eyes scanned the invading pirates, daring one of them to come at you. One of them finally did. A bearded man with gunpowder smeared over his eyes came at you with a hatchet raised in the air, and you moved to block it easily. Your hand burning bright, you shot a fireball right into his abdomen. He cried in pain, and you kicked him away to fend off another pirate who ran up to your side. A slash up their middle had them crashing to the floor, while you shot another fireball at the bearded pirate.

Effectively being burned alive sent the bearded back stumbling and running into a group of pirates, who moved out of his way. A woman’s cry caught you through the commotion, and you saw two men break into a boutique and start ransacking the place. You narrowed your eyes and rushed at them from behind. Levitating one into the ceiling and then slamming him to the floor, you swing your sword at his companion right as he reached for a small girl. He turned around, pain shooting up his back, to swipe a knife at you, which you returned with another fireball to his face. Your demon fire seared his skin, making him scream with pain.

“Get somewhere safe,” you told the women inside, “And barricade the door.” When they froze with fear, you said more firmly, “Go! Now!”

You stuck the screaming pirate with your blade, then kicked him off. When you stepped out the door, you waved your hand over the doorway where black clouds of smoke started embedding into the wood. The protection spell would keep any other pirates from breaking in. You’d stopped a pirate from attacking an elderly woman inside her stall when you saw him.

Chan’s merfolk genes appeared to make him faster and tougher than a normal human. You watched him throw punches, dodge kicks and hands with precision and speed. You saw the weapon in his hand: a long dagger with a bone handle. Fearless, daring, and strong, you couldn’t help admiring him as you easily cut down a reptilian pirate. It’d been when he cut through another pirate that a voice rang out through the fray.

“Where’s the demon called Multak?!”

A tall, tanned man with a small face and a square jaw came through the crowd. People around you gasped when they realized he held Mayor Wallace at gunpoint. You could tell the mayor put on a brave face even with a gun barrel in his stomach. A woman with copper skin and braided coarse hair ran out of a nearby shop, tears in her dark eyes.

“Gerald!” Mrs. Wallace, the school teacher, cried out. She tried going to him, but Fred kept her at a distance.

“I’m alright, Barbara,” he called out, not daring to look at her.

“Let him go, Park,” Chan said, the fight having stopped with the captain walking onto the scene. “He’s not a part of this.”

“He is,” the captain cackled, “He is until you hand me back my first mate and bring me the demon.”

“I can’t do that, Park,” Chan replied, “She’s headed for the capital. It’d be awkward if they came for her and she wasn’t here, you know?”

“Stop playing games, and give me Jennie, you half-breed.”

“Call me that again, pirate,” Chan let the last word hiss like a curse, “And you’ll get your first mate alright.”

You knew exactly how this would go if you didn’t step up. “You want me, pirate?” you stepped out from the crowd, putting yourself between Chan and Jinyoung. Removing your jacket, your markings began faintly glowing their red-orange colors. “Here I am.”

“You’re the demon?” he huffed. “I thought you’d be taller and more…manly.”

“I thought you’d be manlier too,” you shot back. “Mizu sent you for me, and here I am. Let the mayor go.”

“Bring me Jennie,” he demanded, “Then I’ll think about giving your wimpy mayor back.”

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Park,” you said. “I’m already going to have a big day ahead of me, and I’d like to go back inside this inn and finish my breakfast at least. Wooyoung puts cream in the eggs? It makes them melt in your mouth.”

“Then you’ll have no problem handing over my Jennie.”

His Jennie? “I’m sorry, that’s not possible. You see, your first mate and her little goblin friend have information we need and, well, she just hasn’t given us what we want. We can give her back to you in between 365 to 730 business days.”

“I’m done fucking around, demon!” he shouted angrily. “Give me my Jennie!”

“Your Jennie, huh? Alright, I’ll go get her right now.”

You turned around, eyes following you as you marched into the station behind you. He wanted to play this game? Then you’d play it too. Walking over to the enchanted holding cell, Jennie stood confidently and smiling smugly.

“I told you he’d come for me, didn’t I?” she taunted, not scared by the anger flaring in your eyes. “He’s come for me and he’s going to burn your-Hey! Let go of me!”

Grabbing a fistful of her hair, you dragged the mage out of the cell, across the station, and outside. “You want her, huh?” you asked Jinyoung, keeping a firm grip on Jennie. “Here she is! Come and get her.”

“No, bring her here!”

You sneered, “Alright.”

“YN, what are you doing?” Chan whispered at you, but you ignored him.

Jennie’s feet stumbled as you guided her over to her lover. You spotted the satisfaction in Jinyoung’s eyes, and it enraged you further. You threw Jennie onto the ground beside him, then spoke.

“There she is,” you said, a growl in the back of your throat. “Let the mayor go.”

Jinyoung gave you a wicked grin. You had mere seconds. Reaching out to the gun on Mayor Wallace’s side, the heat from your hand immediately shocked Jinyoung’s body. A handprint similar to a branding covered his gun hand, which opened and dropped the gun to the floor. The mayor rushed to his wife nearby, but you kept your eyes on the pirate.

“Damnit!” he seethed, holding his shaking hand. The mark you left started steaming, burning the skin there further. “Damnit, damnit, dammit! You damn dirty demon!”

“Stop your howling,” you said. You grabbed him by a tuft of hair and growled, “I could’ve sent you to demons who’d do way worse than that.” You then asked, “Who is Alcina?”

“Who-o?”

“Alcina, the witch who cursed the king. Who is she?”

“Who?”

“‘Who, who, who’, are you a fucking owl?” You placed your hand on his shoulder, burning him once more. “Who is she? Tell me who she is or I’ll roast you alive!”

“I won’t tell you shit, demon!”

You touched him one more time, and you saw tears in his eyes. Jennie, who’d boasted about his love for her, did not move to protect or save her “lover”.

‘They know nothing of loyalty. They turn on each other the moment the world starts crumbling.’

Nor’goth may have a point there.

A gentle hand touched your arm, and Chan’s voice drowned out Nor’goth’s. “YN, don’t do this here. Everyone is watching.”

You suddenly became aware of everyone still in the square. He was right. Not here where children and soft-hearted folks could see. A flush of embarrassment and worry came over you when your fires faded.

“Let’s take them into the station, and question them there,” he said, slowly soothing the fires blazing inside your chest. “Not torture them. Question them.”

His soft hand touched the one holding Jinyoung up, and you released him. Han and Minho quickly collected both Jennie and Jinyoung. You turned to see the townspeople looking at you, fearful and shocked. They saw your glowing marks, your fiery hands, and saw the demon. A monster. At the end of the day, you are the monster they fear.

“Come on,” Chan said gently.

You swiped your jacket from the dirt and threw it over your shoulders. They’ll want you to leave after this. Nobody wants a demon in their town. It’s why you never stay. A lump formed in your throat, and you kept your head down as you followed Han and Minho into the station. You didn’t stop Han and Minho from putting Jinyoung and Jennie in another enchanted cell. Minho went to grab ointments from his desk while Han locked them up. You didn’t bother with the other two. They won’t tell you anything, but the goblin will.

“Nam!”

“Woah, woah, woah! Wait, wait-” Eric Nam ducked into the corner of the cell.

You lifted him by his shirt collar. His fear dripped out of every pore becoming a fuel for the fire in you. “Who is Alcina and where is she?”

“YN!” Chan called behind you. You ignored him.

“Who is she?!”

“She’s a witch we met in Cortuga!” he cried out, eyes shut tightly. “She said she’d make us rich if we helped her! She said all we had to do was kill a few mermaids and Jennie had to rile up some of the sea predators, and we’d be rich! I swear, that’s all I know! That’s all I know, please don’t burn me alive! Please!”

“I ain’t making promises,” you growled “Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” his voice cracked when you pushed him into a wall, “I swear, I don’t know! I don’t! We only met her once! That merman is who we communicated with!”

“Eric, you absolute coward!” Jennie called, brave now that she’s safe in another cell.

“Merman? You mean Mizu?” Chan asked from the cell door.

“Yes! Him!”

“Did he ever say where he meets Alcina?” he came up beside you. “Let him go, YN,” he said, hand on your wrist.

You hated how easily you let go of Eric. On the ground, Eric took a few shaky breaths before he spoke, “He never told us, but I followed him one time. He gave us the ability to breathe underwater, and after one of our meetings, Jinyoung asked me to tail him. Jinyoung never works with anyone without knowing things about them. We thought he might be going to meet someone to do a double cross, but then I…I saw her.”

“Alcina?”

“In a cave outside of Hydrus,” he said, “In a leviathan’s lair. I can conceal myself, so none of them noticed me.”

“What did you hear?”

“Them talking about cursing the king.”

“With what?”

“They said something about mind consumption? I don’t know what that means.”

You turned to Minho, who sat nearby listening as he treated a hand-cuffed Jinyoung. He nodded, “Yes, I’ve heard of it. It’s a mental curse that slowly consumes the mind until the afflicted body deteriorates. It explains why Tytos’s body is slowly shutting down. The brain is having trouble sending signals to the rest of him.”

“Would a stone treat that?”

“It would,” he said, wrapping the pirate’s burnt hand. “I know someone who could help us.”

“Who?”

“Our resident doctor and garden fairy, Yang Jeongin,” he said with a satisfied grin. “If anyone knows about healing crystals, it will be him.”

“You and YN can go talk to him,” Chan directed, “Han and I will watch over these three while we wait on the marshal.”

You hesitated to join Minho. Outside the windows, you saw the remaining pirates turning tail and running out of town by the docks. People coming out of the buildings convened together in the middle of the square, where they embraced loved ones. You then saw them start whispering. It might be about the pirates or about the demon who tortured one in front of them. Regardless, Minho guided you to the door.

“You won't get the reaction you're expecting,” he assured you.

You realized that once you stepped back outside. At first, people looked apprehensive until you heard a steady clap from nearby. This clap then started a wave, and you saw bright, proud faces.

“Thank you,” the boutique shopkeeper smiled, “Thank you for saving us! Those pirates were going to kidnap my little girl, but you showed them.”

“That goblin would've had my head if you didn't have my back!” Fred's farm hand clapped your shoulder, a toothy grin on her face, “Thank you!”

“Can you really set people on fire?!” Eunwoo, the moon elf boy from the inn, asked excitedly.

“Those pirates will think twice before messing with us again!” His friend said, swishing his stick like a sword.

“Boys, that's enough.” Barbara Wallace came up next, clutching her pearl necklace. She hesitated a moment, then said, “Thank you, YN, for saving my husband. Knowing him, he would've gotten himself killed if you didn’t step in.”

“How is he?”

“Just got a nasty bump from the fight. He's had worse injuries,” she sighed. “But, Eunwoo is right. Word will spread with time that Levanter Bay isn't as defenseless as it seems. It truly was a blessed day when you came into our town.”

“The sheriff, Han and myself were there too,” Minho pointed out, hands on hips.

“And you handled it gallantly as always,” she patted his shoulder as she walked past him to the children nearby.

Their collective reaction silenced you. “They aren't…scared?” you looked at Minho as you continued through the square.

“Did you want them to be?” asked Minho, amused.

“No, but that's usually the reaction I get whenever people see, you know, me.”

“The people around here aren't like that,” Minho said. “It’s not as if you tortured an innocent person. He was a scumbag pirate who tried to tear down the town. You did us a favor by arresting him.”

“Most people tend to think that I take it too far…the intimidation part, I mean.”

“The people who think that are idiots,” Minho scoffed. “You’re a demon, YN. Demons swear oaths to protect innocent souls and punish wicked ones, don’t they?”

“We do.”

“And that’s what you were doing: protecting innocent people and punishing the wicked ones.” He then said, “Look, if it makes you feel better, I would’ve made him think he was covered in snakes or spiders or something awful to get him to talk.”

“Psh, mind games,” you snorted, “They’re worse than physical ones, if you ask me.”

“Chan isn’t a fan of them, but it gets the job done and that’s what matters to me.” He said, “The people here aren’t like the people in the cities. They’re wholesome and quaint. They’re…accepting and open. It has to be for so many different people to coexist in the same town.”

He wasn’t wrong. Levanter Bay, despite not having any real sun, definitely carried one of its own in the townspeople. More people thanked you and Minho as you walked down to the doctor’s office right beside the postman’s station. Above the door, someone wrote in black cursive letters: ‘Dr. Yang Jeongin, M.D.’ with a pair of fairy wings with a staff in between underneath. However, you didn’t stop at his office. Jeongin happened to already be outside, tending to a young man with a ghastly cut up his arm.

You briefly remembered Jeongin from your last case, the handsome garden fairy who wore a gray and white hanbok, the traditional attire of his people. His long, bright green wings looked so thin they could be glass. As you drew closer, you saw the white blossoms woven into his black hair like a crown. He’d been in the process of finishing a stitch when you and Minho approached.

“Hello, Minho,” Jeongin said without looking at him. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.”

Minho drew closer, crouching to survey the stitches on the man’s bloody arm. “Your stitching has gotten better.”

“My stitches were always fine. It was yours,” he cut the thread and tied it down, “That were crooked and too tight. Pass the gauze, please.” Minho handed him a roll of white gauze, and Jeongin began wrapping it. “What is this about, Deputy? I have a lot of people who need me.”

“We have someone who may need you more.”

“Who?”

“King Tytos.”

Jeongin stopped wrapping when he heard the name. He looked over his shoulder at Minho, “The Sea King? What’s happened to him?”

“He has mind consumption, Jeongin,” Minho said seriously. “It’s slowly killing him . The mermaid corpses on the beach, the predator attacks along the coast, and the pirates today? They all have to do with Tytos being ill. My friend and I discovered that a way we can combat it is by-”

“-Sapping it out of him,” Jeongin finished, taping off the gauze swiftly. “Mr. Song,” he went into his medical kit beside him, “Take two of these tonight, and swing by in the morning.”

He gave the injured man a packet, then stood up with his bag. “You need black tourmaline,” Jeongin said, turning back to his office, “Which is not easy to find in these parts.”

“Please tell us you happen to have one?” you asked hopefully.

“It just so happens I do. Come with me.”

He led you and Minho into his office across the road. Two young garden fairies stood inside, gathering supplies from shelves and putting them into baskets. “Kira, Koya,” Jeongin called to them, “See to the wounded outside. I have some business with Deputy Lee.”

“Yes, sir,” the twin fairies said together, bowing before leaving the room by their wings.

Jeongin put down his kit and walked to a workbench behind a curtain. “I’m sure you know by now that black tourmaline is used to defend against negative energy, correct?”

“Yes, we do.”

“And Minho should know that certain crystals,” you heard bottles clinking behind the curtain, “Can be used in rituals to remove said negative energies.”

“Obviously,” Minho said defensively. “I only need the incantation used to remove the consumption.”

You heard Jeongin rifle through his stores before coming back from behind the curtain. He held out a black pouch to Minho, “I really should go with you to assess his condition. We don't know how deep and how long the consumption has festered.”

“I estimate about a few weeks now?” You threw out there, “The corpses showed up two days ago, but a friend of ours says his illness has carried on long before that. He shows signs of severe dehydration, malnutrition, delusion, and memory loss.”

Jeongin listened intently, nodding and thinking to himself. “What color was his skin? His eyes?”

“Pale and paler.”

“Hair?”

“He had lots of patches and sores forming where his head rests. He doesn’t have much of it left either.”

“He shows all signs of severe consumption,” Minho told him. “I need the incantation, Jeongin.”

Jeongin walked over to a bookshelf, scanning the spines until he pulled one out. It appeared much older than some on the shelf, with flesh colored leather wrapped around it. Minho gasped upon seeing the strange book.

“What is a garden fairy doing with a dark remedy book?” Minho asked, touching the stitches keeping the cover together.

“It was a gift, if you must know,” he said airily. “I am a doctor, Minho, and doctors need to learn all kinds of arts if they're to treat anyone. Dark magic, as much as it pains me to say, has plenty of full proof remedies.” He smirked at Minho, “What? You don't have one?”

Minho glared, “I do happen to have one. All shadow fae have one. I'm only surprised a bubbly, goody-two-shoes like you would have one as well.”

“I'm not always good. You know that.”

He turned a few pages in the book until he came across a section for curses of the mind.

“Ah, here it is,” he said, putting glasses on the bridge of his nose. “‘Combined with a crystal of light energy or protection, hold it up to the area of first contact and repeat the mantra: ‘Replenish thy mind and embrace the light’ .”

“That's it?” Minho asked, unimpressed. “Just that?”

“Sometimes the treatment is simpler than you think.” He closed the book, “Find the infection site and hold it to him while you say the words. If the king is not as far gone as you believe, then he should be fine.”

“What if he is far gone?” You asked.

Jeongin thought for a moment, then said, “Help him remember things. Anything he may have an emotional attachment to, like a happy moment or a particular event in his life.”

You thought about the king’s reaction to you when you’d spoken as his daughter. Speaking about his dead son, hearing another acknowledge his death, broke the spell for a few seconds.

“Thank you, Jeongin,” Minho said, peeking into the pouch to see the black stones inside, “I'll bring these back so they can be disposed of properly. We don't want anyone using them.”

“I hope it works,” Jeongin said, replacing medical supplies in his bag, “Tytos is a good man, and his people will need him. I pray the Light is kind to him.”

You waited until you left the office to tell Minho, “We need to go now. If we keep putting it off, Tytos will slip too far for us to heal him.”

“Agreed. I'll tell Chan we're going ahead of him,” he dug into the dust pocket on his belt. “You've had a siren’s kiss, right?”

“I have,” you said, remembering Hyunjin’s soft lips.

“Good to know.” He tossed some dust into the air, and spoke into the floating particles. “Chan, we have the cure. We're going to Hydrus right away.” He blew into the dust, and it zoomed away through the crowds. “There's no time to waste. Come on.”

***

A/N: sorry this part is so long! Haha, this episode is pretty long compared to the first one. I still hope you liked it, and thanks for reading <3 please reblog and like <3

Part 3 >

#stray kids #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x you #bang chan #lee felix #seo changbin #lee minho #han jisung

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